'L.A. Times' Defies KBR, Publishes Probe on Deaths of Truckers

[DeepModem Mom]

Editor&Publisher/AP: 'L.A. Times' Defies KBR, Publishes Probe on Deaths of Truckers
Published: September 03, 2007

LOS ANGELES Senior managers for defense contractor KBR Inc. (KBR) rejected the advice of their own security advisers in April 2004, ordering their truck drivers to speed through a five-mile combat zone in Iraq to deliver jet fuel to the U.S. military, according to a newspaper investigation. At least six civilian drivers and two U.S. soldiers died following that decision, raising anew questions about the military's reliance on civilian contractors in war zones.

The families and some survivors of the doomed convoy are suing the Houston- based company and are requesting a federal investigation of KBR's role in the incident. The Los Angeles Times reviewed emails cited in a May 22 letter the plaintiffs' lawyers sent to the U.S. Justice Department. The newspaper also interviewed KBR truck drivers and former military officials and reviewed internal memos, emails, court-sealed depositions and a U.S. Army report about the deaths.

KBR attorneys and company officials declined to comment to the Los Angeles Times and requested the newspaper "refrain from publishing" the material under court seal....

***

Documents show that on April 8, 2004, a day before the deadly attacks, KBR's security advisers were united in telling their bosses to suspend convoys. One KBR driver had died and 70 more had been attacked that day....

But documents indicate those concerns ran counter to the wishes of top officials at KBR, which today is a separate company but then was a subsidiary of Halliburton Co., the company once run by U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney. They were under pressure to fulfill KBR's multibillion dollar contract with its top customer, the U.S. Army, according to the newspaper....

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003634296

[ChairmanAgnostic]

1. is this the first crack in the corpofascist facade that has protected the

inner workings in Iraq, the Pentagon, and the White House?

I hope so, for it is long overdue

[blogslut]

2. K&R

:)

[SpiralHawk]

3. "War is profitable" - Republicon homelander mercenary cronies

"We republicon homelanders can always make a buck off of a war, smirk"

- republicon homelander mercenary cronies

[Nothing Without Hope]

4. Needless to say, none of the decision-makers rode in the trucks themselves

Just like George W himself never saw combat and walked away when his light stateside duties became inconvenient. For these guys, other people's deaths just don't register as important, especially if they might bring in some profits. To me, that's a form of sociopathy. No conscience, only cunning.

[bperci108]

5. K & R

:kick:

[ljm2002]

6. This article also illustrates...

...the gray area (in terms of legal jurisdiction) that these "contractors" work under:

"Families of the dead truck drivers sued KBR in 2005. Last September, U.S. District Judge Gray H. Miller dismissed the lawsuit, saying courts have no jurisdiction over cases involving military orders. Deciding the case would require "the court to examine the policies of the executive branch during wartime, a step the court declines to take," Miller wrote.

The families' lawyers have appealed, arguing KBR has authority over the civilian truck drivers it employs."

In this case it seems obvious to me that the families should be able to sue because KBR is and was a private entity. It's amazing to me how twisted it all gets. Arguing that families cannot sue because this was a "military" action -- this, after all of the religion of privatization that has been shoved down our throats. So it's good to privatize everything, because as we all know, Government Is Bad -- but then, when the private organization gets in a little bit of trouble, well then it's time to hide behind the veil of the military. Neat trick. And as usual, it works to the advantage of secrecy for powerful corporate interests, and against openness and justice for ordinary US citizens.

[stephinrome]

7. La Times "defies" KBR?!?!

That says much about the state of the free press in the U.S.

Steph